A Confession and Some Pleas

A Confession: First I have to start with this. A while back I talked about my goal to be down to 200 lbs. by the end of summer. Well summer is here and I have not reached my goal. If anything I have backtracked some in the last couple of weeks. Why? I have this theory that psychologists/therapists/counselors have some of the greatest amounts of baggage of most people. Though they can have brilliant insight into others lives and give great advice and coaching, their lives can still be completely screwed up (not in all cases of course). I think trainers can be a little like this as well. Even though we can work with and “diagnose” people and give them great tools to fix their fitness regiment – the application of those principles to us is sometimes the greatest challenge. I think it may have something to do, in both cases, with having so many strategies and so much knowledge up there (in our heads) that we have trouble self diagnosing and treating if you will. So back to my issue. I know what I did wrong. I can give excuses like my trips or my tattoo that kept me from working out for a few days or my new schedule. But that is what they are excuses.
SO what now. Well, trying to look at what I would tell someone else in my shoes. It is time to reassess my goal. I need to analyze what went wrong and how I can more effectively approach it this time. Also I need to modify my goal. SOOOOOO! My goal now is to be at 210 lbs. by Christmas. I will set the bar a little lower and if I reach it early then great. In the meantime, I need to focus my energy again on my diet as that was and is my Achilles heel. But the point is I have acknowledged that I didn't reach my goal and accepted it and now I have to strive on towards a new goal that is attainable and appropriate.

A plea: In short I would like to make a plea to anyone who has thought about group training, specifically my group training, to give it a try. I really believe it is an awesome deal and the folks that have participated and stuck with it I think really see the value. It is a really good deal and I believe that the instruction and workouts are super effective and important. I have seen several of my participants improve by leaps and bounds in just a few sessions. The class setting is sometimes the best place to learn and achieve.

A plea part II: Here is the soapbox part. I plea to anyone and everyone who uses a challenge as a reason for inaction to stop doing so. What I mean is – lately I have heard numerous people use physical limitations or perceived limitations to keep them from exercising certain areas. A common one is the legs. I have heard several people try and tell me that they have leg issues, injuries, lack of flexibility, even too good of legs – as a reason not to exercise them. Simple logic and science should tell you that inaction is not going to solve a problem. If there are flexibility issues, then not stretching is not going to help. If there is a history of injuries, then “protecting” them by avoiding is not going to help your cause. Remember people – legs are your locomotion. They move you and carry you and support you. As you get older they are all the more important. The stronger that foundation is and more limber and agile they are – the better they will serve you as you age. I don’t care how old you are or what shape they are in – they need to be challenged and taken care of. Of course – there is an appropriate strategy for doing so and if you aren’t sure what that is – then see a trainer (hint, hint). This is my example but it can be applied to any issue you hear people using as excuses not address issues.

Okay – enough for now. Thanks so much for reading!

Andy

Types of Workouts ...

Of course it has been forever since I last updated this blog so for that I apologize. I did want to write a little something inspired by my new group training that started this week. Someone told me the definition of insanity (according to Einstein I think???) is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Obviously the correlation you can make between this and working out is that if you continue to do the same workouts and/or follow the same dietary habits and expect to see different results then you are insane! Well, not really, just not thinking much about what you are doing.

So with my new group training, people have a chance to come and do something that is most likely very different from what they have been doing. IF I had to give percentages to what people do with their time in the gym I would guess that 85% of the people at MY gym spend most of their time on cardiovascular work. Of course, if you know me, I believe it should totally be flip flopped. I believe that the REASON that people do this is two fold. First, they think it is the way to burn calories and lose fat. Second, I think that people see cardio as a no brainer and weights as a complicated matter that is more trouble than it is worth.

My group training is designed for those people (that see too much complication with weights) as well as folks that see the value in weights but also in having direct instruction. With the group training model, you have the opportunity to almost go on auto pilot and get effective weight training workouts. The nice thing is that in a smaller group, I can still give individual attention to form, function, and intensity.

As far as the workouts we do. I am currently modeling the program after P90X but have obviously modified it a bit for our purposes. The fact is that it is a type of training that is very different - focused on muscular endurance, a little muscle building, and most importantly variety. This keeps your "body guessing" (sometimes called muscle confusion) and causes you to respond. Eventually the workouts will morph into other formats as I want the people who continue to come to group training to continue to be challenged and "stimulated".

Finally, a word about sets, reps, and weights. My current program has people doing timed sets that usually end up being in the 20+ rep range. Everyone I talk to concurs that those rep ranges sneak up on you and can be quite intense in the later stages. At some point we will do heavier weights (with which you could not manage those amounts of reps) and different sorts of exercises. The point of this is to cause the different muscle fibers to recruit differently and also to cause the muscles to respond differently. Thus they will always be working, changing, developing, and most importantly, working for the trainee.

If you don't know about my group training. It is at Prairie Life (Overland Park) and at this point happens 4 times a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays - 12 to 1 or 6 to 7 both days. In those two workouts we get total body workouts. Of course you can contact for more info. The first couple of sessions have been extremely successful and have had a great deal of interest.

Thanks for reading,

Andy

A Couple of Successes!!!

Every so often you have to brag on others and a little on yourself. I wanted to share a story about two of my clients that have experienced great results through training with me and following "protocols" I created for them. Joe and Jim are similar stories. One of them recruited me after observing me working with others at the gym and the other I recruited when he started at Prairie Life. Neither was in horrible shape or mis/uneducated about training and fitness. They both had a pretty good work ethic and already came to the gym and/or exercised on a pretty daily basis. So I guess what I am saying is I had a good foundation to work with in both cases.

Jim needed a structured weight training routine as he was pretty much sticking to machines and doing a lot of cardio. Joe just needed a routine that worked for him specifically. Jim's routine was more about structure and we also spent time learning about the purpose and benefits of working with free weights. Joe originally needed really effective workouts that were designed to drop body-fat and maintain/add a little muscle. We then progressed him onto a muscle building as routine as he had the 'oh so lucky problem" of losing a little too much weight. Both of them eventually moved on to more independent routines under my supervision.

At one point they each came to me and wanted to talk about diet and modifying it to enhance their results. At this point they had both been experiencing great transformations as they had been putting all the work and guidance I gave them in practice consistently. When the "diet talks' started and they applied the rules and guidelines we talked about, the results went through the roof. Again, these weren't dramatic changes - just practical guidelines that were tailored for their needs and lifestyles.

I guess my point with all this is that these individuals reinforce what I have been preaching and even applying to myself. If you create changes that are designed to promote the changes you want to happen - then you will experience said change. Now these two individuals showed considerable dedication to their fitness and diet regimens but again - these were not hard core crash diets or crazy workout routines. These were simply practices that worked for them because they made them work for them. I have had some other great success stories and I would love to share all these with you. But these two individuals have just been on my mind lately because I continue to see them day after day as they keep refining their results and achieving more. Sometimes they thank me for what I shared with them or what success they have had. But I want to thank them for reminding me that it is all about application and dedication to finding what works best for us all!

"Running ... My Struggle"

So I went running today.  I really hate running.  I can do all other forms of cardio for a decent amount of time without “hating” it.  But running … I am miserable within the first five minutes.  As soon as I start I realize that my lungs are being taxed in a way that other forms of cardio just don’t cause.  I can almost feel every joint in my body as I take each stride – pound pound pound!  To make it worse I did this outside so I had to deal with the what goes down must come up phenomena.  That is, when I find an area of downhill that is a little easier, inevitably I know that an uphill area is coming.  I always sweat more outside and I have to wipe the sweat with my t-shirt.  And if I feel like I need to walk, just for a second, I feel like everyone in their houses or cars is watching me thinking I am a slacker.   And finally, to make matters worse.  I had one of those rare mornings where I woke up and felt like jumping out of bed to take on the world, and cardio before breakfast is always a sure fire way to fire that metabolism up and make you caloric burning machine.  Of course I had lost a bit of that enthusiasm about 20 minutes into my uphill climb number 3.  And then, because I believe many people including bigger men shouldn’t run much because of our weight and as such you really need to do solid stretches after and even a little before your run, the whole ordeal took like 45 minutes.  Yeah yeah – it felt great after I was done … I had accomplished great feat for the morning …I started my day off right … I hate running.

So why did I run?  Some may know that I am trying to get to 200 lbs. by summers end.  At this point – I might need to clarify that summer does not end until September 21^st or so.  Yes I am struggling.  Actually my workouts have been quite productive.  My issues have had more to do with “consumption” than output if you catch my drift.  I have a great workout partner and we are on a solid muscle maintaining/fat burning lifting schedule with a solid 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week.   But those darned old weekends come along and with them comes “social gatherings”, a “drink” here and there, a nice dinner out and next thing you know I have all but negated much of what I accomplished over the week. 

My point with all this rambling is that it comes down to understanding that calories in and calories out is still very important.  If you have a desired goal – you have to have a plan of attack to tackle that goal.  We all have our struggles and even when we know the right things to do (even though a lot of us don’t) it is hard to consistently put into practice all of those principles.  However, when you feel that you have been struggling to reach your goals and even working against yourself at times, you may need to give yourself a kick in the rear and do something that you don’t really like doing just once or twice to remind yourself of what it is that you are working for and what you are trying to avoid.  And finally, don’t run unless you know how to take care of your body before and after. 

Thanks for reading

Andy

Keep Hammerin it Home ...

So I was watching Big Brother (guilty pleasure) and just in case you weren't keeping up with it, there is a former contestant competing on the show again this year.  He is a bodybuilder who actually has a really aesthetically pleasing physique.  I have actually seen this guy in person and he keeps himself in great condition and should be commended for that.  He is also incredibly arrogant and annoying a lot of the time and doesn't do himself a lot of favors with his attitude.  But I digress.   Another contestant made a comment about not working out for like 8 years and how he felt intimidated about being around this bodybuilder guy or something like that.  That made me think about the extremes we see in the "fitness world".

 I can't imagine not working out for a month much less year/s.  But I also realize this guy that made the statement about not working out for so long definitely represents a population that is out there.  This individual wasn't heavy and didn't look "out of shape" but you could tell they hadn't lifted a weight in a LONG time.  I realize there are people out there that just don't get it - they just don't do it.

          And then you have this other extreme.  The bodybuilder puts amazing amounts of effort into how he looks.  His diet and weight training and cardio have to be absolutely flawless.  Even if he was blessed with great genetics, this guy still has an upper caliber physique.  I know the difference between just a nice build and a really well crafted body.  I can guarantee you that this guy doesn't go more than a couple of days, maybe a week - without working out.  

 So you have these extremes.  You have these two guys, roughly the same age, both Americans (I assume) and both with the ambition to audition and make it on to a reality show.  And at the same time there perception/experience regarding working out that couldn't be more different.  For one, the thought of going into a gym and starting weight training probably would feel like going to a foreign country.  And for the other you have a guy who would feel as if their lifeblood was being drained if they didn't have the gym as a daily ritual.

 My take on this is that I think we have folks out there that still see the idea of exercise and especially weight training as an all or nothing thing.  You have people that feel like only big "weight lifters" or bodybuilders should be in the weight area of a gym.  Or you have the people that drift far far away from the daily habit of keeping their muscle and skeletal systems strong and functional.  And when they do "get back into it" (as I hear a lot) they have this all or nothing mentality.  Which inevitably leads to some hurdle coming along and getting them "off track".  And of course you also have the other extreme; those individuals who almost let their time in the gym consume them to a point where other thing get sacrificed.  

 I guess the point to all this is that there has to be a middle ground.  There has to be an understanding that EVERYONE needs to be doing work to keep themselves strong and functional.  That doesn't mean you have to obsess about it and spend hours a day in the gym "weight lifting".  But some resistance training at least 3 days a week is absolutely crucial.  And taking weeks, months, or (gasp) even years off from the gym is just irresponsible and lazy.   Sorry to be so cutting but I continue to run into people who I haven't seen for weeks or even months and then their responses about why they haven't been "on track" are just excuses for the fact that they have not given that part of their life the importance it deserves.  And on a final note - I will again continue to hammer home the fact that everyone needs to learn how to lift some weights properly and appropriately for their own bodies and do it regularly.  The benefits (which I need to just do a whole post on) are numerous and important.  

 Thanks for reading,

Andy

This One's for the Boys!

Okay, so I should actually state that this is for the men that I am lucky enough to have reading my blog.  We had a men's health seminar the other day and it went really well (better than I expected) and I was really impressed by how much interest the men who attended had in what we had to say.  I won't go into every thing that was talked about but I did want to summarize my take on what I saw as the biggest talking points of the event.

1.  (Per the doctor we had come talk)  If you are a guy you need to be monitoring what is happening with your prostate and having that checked out.  Taking medications/supplements seems to be a good idea just as preventative medicine.  Also, nutrition (as we all know) is hugely important and our carbohydrate intake needs to monitored.  I won't go into specifics - e-mail me if you want more on that.  Finally, hormone level checks and possible hormone replacement therapy is huge now and getting huger.  Check it out and see what that is all about.

2.  ME!  Okay so I (and the trainer I spoke along with) went about dispelling myths.  The funny thing about that is that I worked with a gentleman today who I ended up going over at least three of the things we talked about in the seminar ... I told him it was a shame he didn't make it.  Anyway, here are the big 5 MYTHS (and the realities) that I continually have to clear up.

1.  Doing cardiovascular exercise does NOT constitute working your legs.  There is weight training and cardio training (and flexibility training) and you need to do BOTH!

2.  Spot reduction does not really work.  You can't flatten your belly (much) with ab work alone.  you have to create a caloric deficit (appropriately) and lose BODY FAT (not just lbs.) to flatten your stomach and get abs.   This is my big mission at the moment  .... hard!

3.  Free weights rule and machines are just fluff.  Well that may be harsh but I really preach the "gospel" of free weight training as it's overall benefits far outweigh using machines alone.  Again - you want more - e-mail me.

4.  Your arms are not the most important part of your body to work.  You have three big groups of muscles - legs, back and chest in that order.  Work those first and focus on them and everything else will fall into place.  We can add the arms/shoulders/lower legs/and ab stuff once we get the big three under control!

5.  This one's the BEST!  Lifting weights does not mean body building and by lifting weights you will not turn into a big muscle man or look like you are trying to enter "physique contests".  Big muscular physiques take a ton of work, often really good genetics, and good food intake as well as supplementation.  Even if you have some or most of these, it is still really hard to put in the amount of time and effort necessary to get "big" or "muscly".  Point is - EVERY MAN should be doing weight training if for nothing else - to help improve their posture, strength and muscle tone.  The benefits of working with weights are so plentiful I will need to list them all in another post.  Just summarize it by saying that working with weights will enhance your quality of life for now and many years to come.

As for the nutrition stuff, I won't get into all that as it wasn't really my topic I focused on.  But I would just say that we all need to make sure we are getting plenty or protein (which is more than you think), monitoring (but not eliminating) are carbohydrate intake, and realizing that how much and when you eat is almost as important as what you eat.

Thanks for reading,

Andy

The Quest to Lose 20 lbs.

So I am on a quest.  I am sharing this for several reasons.  One is accountability.  It helps to motivate me if more people know what I am doing.  Second, I like people to understand that I deal just as much as anyone else with my diet, my workouts, my regimen, etc.  I think that is what can make a good trainer - the ability to empathize because you have been there.  Not saying that ultra ripped genetic freaks can't make good trainers - but a little struggle goes a long way in understanding where your friends and clients are coming from.

So my quest is to lose 20 lbs.  Now let me preface this by saying that I am not an advocate of making blanket statements about losing "weight".  Meaning that the scale is not the only measure of progress and body fat/body composition is much more relevant in assessing where you are at.  The fact that muscle is more dense and thus more heavy is a very important factor.  BUT the reality is that I NEED to be at about 200 lbs. Not 220 where I am currently hovering.

I have dealt with my weight's ups and downs for years.  I even was about 250 at one point while teaching and dropped a dramatic 60 lbs to 190 at one point.  I don't believe I handled this quite as appropriately as I could of and as such some of that weight was muscle. (I was doing mucho cardio and eating a hard core "low fat" diet)  I know now that there is a healthy way to do this and it comes in the form of getting the right macro nutrient (protein, carb, fats) percentages down to a science so that I maintain as much muscle as possible while losing purely fat.  NOT EASY

Obviously diet is my big hurdle.  Without getting all numerical/scientific on you - basically I had to find out how many calories I expend daily (both just to live and with exercise factored into the equation) and then determine how much I am actually consuming.  Most of you know I am now on a "meal plan" that helps me keep my calories at a certain number.  Without going into specifics - with the fact that it takes 3500 calories burned to lose 1 lb.  I am on track to lose about 1.5 lbs weekly roughly.  This would be greatly increased (to 2 or 3 lbs. weekly) if I would edit myself more appropriately during the weekends when I am not on the "meal plan" and have to fend for myself.  Of course I am working to make those changes but like many of you have said and I say often "it's hard".  

My point with all this is that when you break down your daily intake/output into numbers (even if they are sometimes rough estimates) it helps open your eyes to what it is that you have to really DO to create the change that you want to see occur.  I know my workouts are on point and I am lucky that I don't have to modify that too much.  I have also been really lucky lately to have a great workout partner (which I highly recommend) to push me in directions that I sometimes resist going - he has a strong running background and I have the weight training background so we compliment each other well.

So just some food for thought.  Thoughtful consideration and analysis of what you eat daily and weekly compared to how much you expend daily and weekly is a great way to assess what you need to do to create that change.  (Consequently the same can be said for those lucky souls who actually want to gain weight)  I am in the process of doing this and it is really helping me gauge each week where I need to "edit" my behavior so I can finally reach my goal.  

MY  GOAL IS TO BE AT 200 lbs. (give or take a pound or to) AND STAY THERE!  If I need to adjust that goal when I get there (maybe go a little lower), so be it.  Doing so is not only healthy for my body but good for my piece of mind.  

Thanks for reading,

Andy

A Little Something is Better Than All of Nothing.

I just wanted to address an issue I see happening around the gym.  It seems that this is one of the times of the year that it really starts to become prevalent.  I am talking about people taking time off from their workouts.  Every so often I will be walking around the gym or thinking about work and say to myself "hey, I haven't seen so and so lately".  Then inevitably after sometime, said person will show up.  When I ask where they have been the answer is some sort of  explanation about how busy they have been.  Maybe it's work related (often), or family obligations such as other member's of their families schedules have changed.  But it is usually some unapologetic justification for why they just took that time off.

I thought about titling this post "don't let life get in the way" or something like that.  My point being that when life's ripples come along and disrupt schedules, one of the first causalities is usually the gym.  I think this is really defeating.  The body adapts to continued and evenly applied challenges.  If we are inconsistent with how we apply those challenges (cardiovascular training, stretching, weight training, nutrition etc.) then we get inconsistent results.

I used to teach school and I will totally admit that there were times where I would take like a week or two off.  I remember how horribly out of shape I would feel and how much it felt like coming back to the gym was totally starting over.  Of course our bodies are more forgiving than that and it didn't take more than a week or so to get back into the swing of things.  BUT when I would add the week or so here and there that I took off throughout a school year and also the summer - I would realize that I had missed more than a month.  (I often see people at the gym missing months at a time - so how much of their year is actually lost?)

Our bodies were designed to be used.  Depending on who you ask, our ancestors spent a bulk of their day scavenging and hunting - using their bodies for survival.  We don't do that.  So it is up to us to challenge ourselves daily to keep our bodies fine tuned.  I suggest that everyone do a little something rather than nothing.  I would much rather see someone come to the gym and even do 10 to 20 minutes of cardio and one weight training exercise than just totally missing out.  They gym/exercise is about establishing a rhythm in your life.  You do it because it is part of your existence.  It stimulates your body just like food stimulates you to digest or air stimulates you to breathe.  I really like to think of it like that.

Of course there are times when life really does get in the way and you are forced to take more than a couple of days off.  And I think that you can justify that maybe once a year.  (Unless you are a hardcore weight trainer - then you can use some off time as more of a strategy)  Other than that, missing weeks at the gym is just another barrier that can lead to frustration with your goals.  So no matter how busy things get or what sort of "drama" you have going on at a particular time - make time to get your self into the gym for at least a little bit.  It will release good feeling chemicals, be more physically sound and for most - serve as a little therapy during those challenging times.  Also - taking time off before, during, and after vacations is also a common mishap I see.  Just because your time off is for pleasure related activities does not mean that it is any more justified. :)

Thanks

Andy

Untapped Potential and Missed Opportunities

If you have someone in your life that doesn’t work with resistance training equipment at all – I implore you to talk with you about it’s importance or direct him or her to someone who can.  The following blog was inspired by my last week.

Many of you may know that I had a death in the family just this past week.  Because of this I was forced to do some reflection.  This particular family member was around 75 and lived in a really nice community of like-aged folks.  As such, I met a lot of the friends this individual had and was able to spend time talking with them at the “celebration of life” that we held.  Before, during and after this event I reflected on what life must be like at that age and what thoughts people had on exercise in their later years.  Inevitably, at the “party” I would end up talking with these older adults about what they were doing for exercise and fitness.

            The most common thought I had as I listened is that these folks are missing a huge opportunity.  Here they are in the time of their life when often they have nothing but time and they are not seizing that moment as a chance to get and stay fit.  When I asked about what they thought about exercise I hear a lot of comments like “well I walk and that’s enough” or “I don’t want to lift weights because I am not trying to enter any physique contests”!  (Which is what I think is the funniest thing of all!   AS IF!  Do they know how hard you have to work to make your body look like that? … Well, obviously not)

            I just couldn’t believe how many men and women would say things that really showed that they felt like weight training was not for them.  One of the most common “rationales” is that they had an injury or ailment that “keeps them from being able to do much”!  WHAT?!?!  You have an ailment that you most likely got from not taking care of yourself … and your way of dealing with it is to take even less care of yourself?!?!  It just sort of drives me crazy to think about it.

            There was a lot of talk about injuries or physical limitations.  I would say over and over …”because you have an injury or limitation – you have that much more of a reason to make your body stronger and as functional as possible”.  I kept explaining that if there is something that holds you back physically like bad knees or back – then learn how to strengthen the areas around it – safely and with the aid of a trained professional who will push you but also show you the safe and most effective ways to work with your body!

            Now I would like to say that this issue is an issue that is only in the elderly population  - but it’s not!  As I reflected and looked around me, I realized that people young and old alike are not tapping into their true potential because of misconceptions about exercise.  For the last time people (not really) weight training is for everyone!!!  It makes you a stronger more functional healthy version of yourself!!!  Learn how to work with your body and work with weights till the day you die.  IT WILL IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE!!!

            My family member who died thought they were doing all the exercise they could or needed (I think).  It wasn’t near enough.  This family member was slumped over and frail for as long as I knew them.  They had no weight training in their life.   Of course I encouraged – but I live far away and didn’t have as much chance to communicate or oversee, as I would have needed to.  I am not saying that if they had that the death could have been avoided but I do think that there may have been more of a fighting chance.   At least I know in my heart that they would have experienced better quality of life in the final months.

            On the way back to home I observed lots of people in the airports and on the plane.  I saw a lot of people that from my naked eye – obviously did little to no exercise and certainly no strength/weight training.  I saw all sorts of mobility issues and postural distortions etc. that I can’t help but know and believe could be alleviated if these people would just embrace the idea that their bodies can be stronger, more functional, more resilient and longer lasting if they would incorporate weight/strength training into their lives.

Thanks for reading,

Andy

Theme of the Day!

So the theme of the day is ... change things up.  Lately I have been having conversations with people that sound similar and I am finding that I am coming to this same point:  to create change - you must create change.  (Also - I think it's important to state here that much of what I write about comes from my own personal experiences/struggles)  Anyway, what I mean is that you can't continue to do the same things and expect different results (a client told me once that is the definition of insanity).  I spend a lot of time thinking/talking about exercise and diet being lifestyle related and that you have to develop routines to ensure that you will stick to your plan and reach your goals.  At the same time - if we want to create a change - lose fat, gain muscle, gain endurance, increase flexibility, etc. - then we must change how we are approaching that goal in order to make progress.  

The most common thing I deal with is people (myself included) who want to lose body fat.  When I delve into a person's plan of attack - often it involves just making sure that they are sticking to a program and working hard.  But if they are already working hard - and/or have established a program - and then want things to change - they have to change the program.  I am not talking drastic changes but things that manipulate variables in your program.  For instance if your diet is routinely 3 meals a day and 2 meals a day on the weekends - then bump up your meals to 5 a day and 3 per weekends but decrease the size of them.  (The eating 5 to six smaller meals a day idea is tried and tested)  But again - let's say your doing that already - well then change the composition of those meals - maybe bump up protein (almost always a good idea) and lessen the carbs, change the source of fats, manipulate the type of carbs you have and when you have them (less at nighttime), or make sure your breakfast is larger than the rest of your meals.  These are just a few of the options that you have available.  

Here is the important thing with regards to losing weight:  In general - calories in greater than calories out = gain in weight; calories out greater than calories in = weight loss.  Depending on what you are currently doing to expend calories  - if you don't change how many calories you burn per day and how many calories you consume per day (and in many cases the source of those calories) then weight loss chances are lessened.  Of course there are all sorts of variables to consider in diet and exercise but the basic formula of burn more than you expend is still the number one factor.

In less common cases - I hear people that want to gain muscle - I say great!!! But still you have to understand - to gain muscle you have to gain "weight/mass" which means more calories than you expend.  Also - this is where manipulation of the types/sources of calories comes into play - the protein/carb/fat balance gets very tricky and is often different for each person.  Point is - you have to again take into account what exercises your doing and how you are doing them (which is directly related to how many calories you burn on a given day) and then how much calories you consume per day.  

Finally, with regards to any other goal.  If you want to make an improvement/change - you have to continue to manipulate what you are currently doing (if you are doing it to the best of your ability).  So you want to increase flexibility - then stop doing the same stretches and learn some different types of stretches or learn how to make your muscles more supple before you stretch.  You want to increase endurance - then change the type of cardio you do and increase the time you do it but change other variables like incline or resistance.  You want to build strength - then change your rest in between sets but up the weight.  You want to to "tone/lean" up - then change the repetition count and the rest between sets and add more variety.  I could go on and on but this is what I have been thinking about a lot lately as I talk to folks about creating "change".  Thanks for reading!

Andy

7 Deadly Sins

The 7 Deadly Sins (of working out):

So I was working with a client the other day and as I talked about a movement that he suggested I told him that specific movement is one of the "deadly sins" you could do in a gym.  Then I thought about how there are several big things that you see people do in the gym that I, and I assume most trained/educated gym goers could agree are recipes for disaster.  The list is as follows with a brief description of each:

1.  Movements behind the neck:  Flexible and highly trained athletes that have done ample pre-training for the shoulder complex (rotator cuff and surrounding muscles) are the only people that should ever do an overhead movement behind the neck.  And even those people need to be very careful.  Some might say that no one should do these movements.  Examples that I routinely see that make me cringe are lat pull downs behind the neck and/or shoulder presses behind the neck.  A majority of people do NOT have the flexibility and muscular balance to do this movement without causing some sort of issue with the inner workings of the shoulder.

2.  Knees in front of toes:  Again, there are a few highly trained athletes (bodybuilders with years of experience) who could possibly justify doing a movement that causes your knees to go in front of your toe on a squat or some leg pressing movements.  Doing so can really engage your quadriceps.  At the same time, it puts a tremendous amount of stress on the knee joint and all the tendons/ligaments etc. that are there.  Totally unnecessary to do in most cases.  Typically you see people doing this on leg presses, squats (especially on a smith machine) and also especially, lunges.  Allowing your knee to travel in front of your toe is a sure prescription for knee trouble down the road.

3.  Too much weight - too fast:  I hate it when I see guys walk in (sorry, but it is almost always guys) fresh off the street (or even worse from a sedentary work day) and go right into a heavy lift like a bench press.  Often they do this with little or no warm up.  They may do a few obligatory stretches (more on that later) and then right into it.  Their bodies are not ready for that amount of weight that soon.  Neuromuscularly there has to be a little "wake up" period before you throw heavy weights into the equation.  A little blood flow and joint lubricant is needed to help eliminate injury chances.

4.  Stretching before working out:  Now there is debate about this and I am not going to get into all that.  Suffice it to say, doing a full stretching workout before a weight workout doesn't make sense.  Stretching is a elongating and if done properly, gentle activity.  Doing a full stretch session before you workout when you are "cold" is like stretching a cold rubber band - greater chance is will snap.  Now there may be some rationale for doing a little pre-stretch or stretch after you have warmed up a little but a full blown stretching session is best saved for after the workout.

5.  Too much range of motion (or too little for that matter):  So someone sometime in the history of the gym I work at must of started doing little 1/4 rep motions because there are still people I see that do little movements on all of there lifts.  Most of these people do like way too much weight at the same time.  Unfortunately, these same people I think are genetically gifted and have a good physique that they are able to maintain with these "little wierd rep workouts" so they think it works - and it may - for them.  BUT not everything works for everybody.  Just like doing the opposite - big full range motions like a bench press with the bar going from your chest to a full locked out position or dumbbell chest presses with the arms going past 90 degrees is too much motion.  I think people lose sight of this fact.  The GOAL of lifting weights is to stimulate the muscle fibers a maximally as you want.  So any thing that takes the muscle out of the movement and transfers the load to a joint or other set of muscles is not productive and can lead to injury.  Also, any movement that is to short and doesn't elongate the muscle fibers enough also is not as productive as possible and if you are using to heavy of weight with that - then again you are prone to injury.

6.  Swinging the weights:  Why people do this is complicated.  I think there are definitely people who have athletic backgrounds that have included explosive training (like in football) that involves the whole body.  But that does not apply to a majority of people.  Swinging or using your body to move a weight is defeating your purpose and obviously (sound like a broken record here) inviting injury.  REMEMBER the goal of weigh training is maximally stimulate muscle fibers.  If you swing and "cheat" with your body the fibers you are targeting will not get the full benefit of the movement.  What's the biggest culprit here???  The barbell and dumbbell curls.  I see more swinging here than the late 70's!  (My attempt at a joke.  Good?)

7.  Not protecting the back:  The biggie!  I hear more lower back problems than anything else.  Why? - because people don't protect it.  Many ways to do this but the major things to make sure you do are avoid movements that cause your lower back to round, keep your core abdominal muscles tight during movements, work your abdominals regularly including your lower abdominals (which most people don't), and have adequate hip flexor and especially hamstring flexibility.  So much of what people complain about with regard to the back can best be avoided by practicing these preventative measures.  OF course practicing good posture helps as well.

I hope this doesn't sound like a know it all and comes off as it is intended to be - just helpful feedback based upon my experiences in the gym.  Comments always appreciated.  Thanks for reading - I know this is a long one.

Andy